HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 (THE HIDDEN WORLD)

Release Date: Malaysia, 31 Jan 2019

Genre: Action / Adventure / Animation

Running Length: 1:45

Cast (voices):  Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, F. Murray Abraham, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington

Director:  Dean DeBlois

Screenplay: Dean DeBlois based upon the "How to Train Your Dragon" book series by Cressida Cowell 

In this last installment of the How to Train Your Dragon series, I went in with some anxiety anticipating for the worst. If you followed part 1 and 2, you would have realized that the series creators take risk. 

In the first one, our heroes Hiccup (Baruchel) and Toothless lost their leg and tail wing respectively. And in Part 2, as Hiccup finally found his mother, his father dies! 

So, going into HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3, I had all these thoughts in my mind, "Does Toothless die?" , "Does Hiccup die?", "Do Hiccup and Astrid get married?" 

Well, all I can reveal for now is that the character arc (the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story) of both Hiccup and Toothless is complete in an emotionally satisfying way. 

With Hiccup as head chief now, he and Toothless (being the alpha dragon) safeguard their island and keep everyone safe, both humans and dragons. However, there is a new threat to this peaceful dragon utopia where the villagers are forced to make a decision to vacate their village.  

Meanwhile, Toothless has fallen in love with another dragon, a Light Fury. 

This is where Hidden World soars. It's such a delight to see the courtship of this cute couple, from a clumsy mating dance to a no dialogue high-flying sequence official date across the clouds and beautiful "magic hour" cinematic landscape. It's one of the most beautiful and heart warming sequence for me ever created using animation.  

The visuals in this movie is stunning and accompanying score is just perfect.  

The villain (Abraham) in this installment is also much more memorable than Part 2. I swear his demeanor and voice sounded so much like John Lithgow. 

Speaking of the non-verbal, there is this powerful moment somewhere at the end where Hiccup and Toothless communicates without any words. Such an emotional scene.   

How to Train Your Dragon 3 is a fitting ending. Much better than part two, whereas the first one was still the best. 

RATING: 8/10

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (2014)

Genre: Animated

Running Length: 1:42

Cast: (voices) Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Djimon Hounsou, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kit Harrington

Director: Dean DeBlois

When How To Train Your Dragon came out in 2010, it was the best movie experience for me. It got everything right; the flight sequences in 3D were exhilarating, the story had a lot of heart and of course, the super adorable Toothless. So, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 had an impossibly high expectations to clear no matter how hard I tried not to have one. Well, I didn't walk out with the same wonderment I experienced from the first movie but that said, HTTYD2 is a superior sequel considering how the film making industry works (Anytime a movie especially an animated one scores big at the BO, it instantly becomes a "trilogy". Creativity goes out the window but who cares as long as it hauls in the money). Thankfully, rather than retreading more of the same, the film makers chose to expand the scope and yet retaining all the elements that made the first one a success. The events in this sequel takes place 5 years after and thus, it explores the theme of growing up and finding out "who am I and what's my calling." Fortunately it didn't go all Shakespeare as there are plenty of action scenes, but the tone is darker and more complex than the original. There is a "everything's not going to be all right" feeling throughout the movie. Visually it doesn't offer anything groundbreaking but there is one BIG standout "mano-a-mano" battle scene which was jaw dropping. That scene itself justified the IMAX 3D surcharge. The relationships between the key characters are properly fleshed out especially the incredibly touching bond between Hiccup and Toothless; so much so it mattered deeply in the film's single most powerful scene.

Rating: 7.5/10